Carrier for photographic equipment such as cameras and lenses

ABSTRACT

A carrier has a variable-length compartment for receiving a device of variable length, such as a lens with a hood that may be alternated between a reversed and an extended or operative position. The carrier has an expansion gusset region that allows expansion of the carrier along one dimension when the device is elongated, whereby the carrier is able to securely accommodate the elongated device within the compartment, and contraction of the carrier when the device is less elongated.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. non-provisional applicationSer. No. 12/529,141, which is a U.S. national phase of PatentCooperation Treaty application no. PCT/US2008/55194 filed on Feb. 27,2008. Patent Cooperation Treaty application no. PCT/US2008/55194 claimedthe benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/904,603,filed on Mar. 1, 2007, for a “Carrier for Photographic Equipment such asCameras and Lenses,” by Douglas Harland Murdoch and Michael Sturm, andassigned to Think Tank Photo, Inc. The disclosures of Patent CooperationTreaty application no. PCT/US2008/55194 and U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 60/904,603 are incorporated herein by reference tothe extent permitted by law.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The field of this disclosure is that of article carriers supported by ananimate bearer, such as a human being.

BACKGROUND

Human beings have long carried articles by attaching them to belts wornaround the waist or hips or to harnesses or slings supported at least inpart by the shoulders. Such articles have included canteens, weapons,food, and the like. Carriers such as bags or pouches for receiving andsupporting the articles may be supported by the belt, harness or sling.

Photographers often carry their photographic gear in carriers such aspouches or bags that are supported by a belt, harness or sling. Suchphotographic gear may include lenses and camera bodies with lensesattached.

The lenses that may be attached to a single lens reflex or medium formatcamera body are usually cylindrically shaped objects of varying lengths.Telephoto lenses and other lenses with a long focal length are typicallylonger along the major axis of the generally cylindrical lens than areshorter focal length lenses.

Carriers for lenses and for cameras with lenses attached preferablyshould have compartments shaped to receive these devices in order tosecurely contain them without excess movement of the lenses and thecameras with lenses inside the compartment.

Photographers frequently attach lens hoods to their lenses when takingpictures, in order to shield the lens from a source of bright light suchas the sun. This will result in pictures that are not distorted orwashed out by the bright light. The lens hood is attached to the frontof the lens and projects from the lens in order to shelter thelight-gathering element of the lens from the bright light. The lens hoodmay be removed from the lens, usually by rotating it so that itdisengages from a ridge or other locking element on the front of thelens.

The lens hood adds to the length of the lens when it is attached to thelens in an operative position. Being longer, the lens and hood (orcamera with lens having hood attached) will not be accommodated in acarrier shaped to fit the lens (or camera with lens) without the hoodattached in the operative position, unless the compartment is oversizedto begin with or the lens or camera with lens projects out of thecompartment. Having an oversized compartment means that the carrier isoversized. This is usually not desirable in order to avoid excessmovement and especially in carriers that are meant to be carried on thephotographer's body by a belt, harness, sling or the like. On the otherhand, allowing the lens or camera with lens to project out of thecompartment exposes it to hazards such as rain and other moisture, dust,theft, and the chance of simply falling out of the compartment.

Usually the lens hood can be reversed on the lens so that it does notproject beyond the light-gathering element of the lens. The lens will bewider where the hood surrounds it. A carrier with a compartment shapedto fairly closely fit the lens (or camera with lens) can usuallyaccommodate the lens (or camera with lens) with a reversed hood.

Photographers such as sports and combat photojournalists must be readyto take pictures of short-lived and unpredictable events. They willprefer to keep their equipment as ready for use as possible. This mayrequire leaving the lens hood in a deployed or operative position on thelens so that the photographer does not have to take the time to attach alens hood to the lens or, if one is attached to the lens in a reversedposition, to remove the reversed lens from the lens, turn it around, andreattach it.

A need exists, therefore, for a carrier for a lens or a camera with alens that can accommodate the lens or the camera with a lens wherein thelens has no hood attached, has a hood is in a deployed position or has ahood reversed on the lens. The carrier should be able to accommodate thelens or a camera with lens in a fully enclosed or secure way in all ofthese conditions and it should do so without being permanentlyoversized.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure provides, in one aspect, a carrier for carryingphotographic gear, such as a lens or a camera with a lens, the carriercomprising a wall and a bottom joined by an expanding gusset region todefine a variable-length compartment. The expanding gusset region maycomprise a gusset and a device at least partially secured to or adjacentto each of the wall and the bottom for reversibly engaging the bottomadjacent the wall. The gusset may have a contracted configuration inwhich the wall is adjacent the bottom and an expanded configuration inwhich the wall is spaced from the bottom. The device may be a zipper.The wall may define an opening for access to the variable lengthcompartment. The opening may be secured by a flap or a top.

Without limitation, it is an object and advantage of the presentinvention to provide a carrier for a lens or a camera having a lens thatcan securely accommodate the lens or the camera having a lens wherein alens hood is in a deployed position, is reversed on the lens or no lenshood is on the lens at all.

Another object and advantage is to provide a carrier for a lens or acamera having a lens that can securely accommodate the lens or thecamera having a lens wherein the lens is of different lengths.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with thedrawings. The accompanying drawings, which constitute part of thisspecification, help to illustrate embodiments of the disclosure. In thedrawings, like numerals are used to indicate like elements throughout.The drawings are described below.

FIG. 1 is a left side perspective view of a first preferred embodimentof a carrier according to the disclosure, in the first or non-extendedconfiguration;

FIG. 2 is a schematic of a sectional view of the carrier shown in FIG.1, taken along the line 2-2, with a lens indicated in phantom;

FIG. 3 is a left side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 1,but in the second or extended configuration;

FIG. 4 is a schematic of a sectional view of the carrier shown in FIG.3, taken along the line 4-4, with a lens indicated in phantom;

FIG. 5 is a top side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 1, inthe first configuration;

FIG. 6 is a elevated perspective view of a second preferred embodimentof a carrier according to the disclosure, in the first or non-extendedconfiguration;

FIG. 7 is a front side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a back side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a right side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a left side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is a schematic of a sectional view of the carrier shown in FIG.12, taken along the line 13-13, with a camera and lens indicated inphantom;

FIG. 14 is a front side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 6,but in a second or extended configuration;

FIG. 15 is a back side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a right side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG.14;

FIG. 17 is a left side perspective view of the carrier shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 18 is a schematic of a sectional view of the carrier shown in FIG.17, taken along the line 18-18, with a camera and lens indicated inphantom;

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS

1 carrier, first embodiment

2 lens, shown in phantom

2A lens hood, shown in phantom

10 wall

12 foam padding

14 body contacting portion of wall

15 compartment

16 non-body contacting portion of wall

17 mesh

20 top

22 opening in top

25 cord

26 toggle lock

30 bottom

32 foam padding

40 belt connection sleeve

50 expansion gusset region

52 gusset

54 zipper

54A upper half of zipper

54B lower half of zipper

56 zipper tape

56A upper zipper tape

56B lower zipper tape

58 zipper slider

100 carrier, second embodiment

105 camera body

107 lens

107A lens hood

110 wall

111 foam padding

112 front wall

115 compartment

114 back wall

116 left wall

117 zippered left side compartment

118 right wall

120 top

121 foam padding

122 handle

123 hinge

124 top opening

126 top opening zipper

128 top opening zipper slider

130 bottom

131 foam padding

140 belt connection sleeve

150 expansion gusset region

152 gusset

154 zipper

154A upper half of zipper

154B lower half of zipper

156 zipper tape

156A upper zipper tape

156B lower zipper tape

158 zipper pull

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of this specification, unless otherwise indicated, allnumbers expressing quantities of ingredients and so forth used in thespecification are to be understood as being modified in all instances bythe term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, thenumerical parameters set forth in the following specification areapproximations that can vary depending upon the desired propertiessought to be obtained by the present disclosure.

Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forththe broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspossible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certainerrors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in theirrespective testing measurements. Moreover, all ranges disclosed hereinare to be understood to encompass any and all sub ranges subsumedtherein, and every number between the end points. Additionally, anyreference referred to as being “incorporated herein” is to be understoodas being incorporated in its entirety.

It is further noted that, as used in this specification, the singularforms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless expressly andunequivocally limited to one referent.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-5 depict a first preferredembodiment of a carrier 1 according to the disclosure. The carrier 1 isessentially a pouch designed to carry an essentially cylindricalelongated object with a varying length, in this case a telephoto lensthat may have its lens hood either reversed (see FIG. 2) or extended(see FIG. 4).

The carrier 1 has a wall 10 attached by an expansion gusset region 50 toa bottom 20. The wall 10 and the bottom 20 together define a compartment15 that has an opening 22 at the top 20.

The wall 10 and the bottom 30, as shown in the drawings, are each formedof two pieces of fabric that sandwich a foam sheet 12 and 32,respectively. The wall 10 and the bottom 30 are each sewn to theexpansion gusset region 50 (described below). It will be understood bythose of skill in the art how to make and join the wall 10 and thebottom 30 to the expansion gusset region, as well as the variations inthe materials and manner of construction that may be employed.

The wall 10 in the embodiment shown in the drawings has two portions: abody contacting wall 14 and a non-body contacting wall 16 joined to eachother. The body contacting wall 14 has attached to it a belt connectionsleeve 40 that permits the user to connect the carrier 1 to a belt (notshown). A preferred form of a belt connection sleeve is shown in theco-pending PCT application no. PCT/US2005/034036 of one of the currentinventors, Douglas H. Murdoch, for a “Carrier System,” published asWO/2006/034421, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference asif fully set forth herein, to the extent permitted by law. A preferredform of a belt is shown in the co-pending PCT application no.PCT/US2006/061357 of the current inventors, Douglas H. Murdoch andMichael Sturm, for a “Carrier System,” the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, to the extentpermitted by law.

The non-body contacting wall 16 is shown with an elastic mesh panel 17sewn thereon that forms a pocket for small articles such as lens caps,food bars, sun lotion containers, and the like.

The top 20 of the wall 10 is equipped with a cord 25 in a tunnel at thetop 20. The cord 25 may be drawn tight and cinched in place by thetoggle lock 26. Those of skill in the art will understand that othermeans of closing the opening 22 to secure the contents of thecompartment 15 may be employed, such as a zippered lid and the like.

The construction of the carrier 1, as described to this point andexcluding the expansion gusset region 50, is known. For example, ThinkTank Photo offers a soft-sided lens carrier of the general constructiondescribed thus far (but excluding the expansion gusset region 50) underthe name “Lens Changer [size number].” See, for examplehttp://www.thinktankphoto.com/ttp_product_LnsChngr80.php (accessed Feb.7, 2007).

Although a “soft” construction of the carrier 1 is described in thisspecification, it could have a “hard” construction, which means that thewall and bottom would be made of materials harder or more rigid thanfabric and foam sheets sewn together. For example, the wall and bottomcould be made of a thermoplastic material such as the hard-sided casessold by Pelican products, Inc. and the like. A hard-sided carrierpreferably may have a different closure than a cord and toggle lockclosure, which is easier to accomplish with a soft-sided carrier 1.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the carrier 1 in the unextended configuration. Asshown in the schematic cross-section of FIG. 2, this would beappropriate for carrying a lens 2 with the hood 2A reversed on the lens.In this configuration the expansion gusset region 50 is not extended.Instead, it is in its contracted form.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the carrier 1 in the extended configuration. As shownin the schematic cross-section of FIG. 2, this would be appropriate forcarrying a lens 2 with the hood 2A attached to the lens 2 and extendingfrom it in the deployed configuration. Alternatively, the extendedconfiguration would permit the carrier to securely contain a longerlens.

As noted before, the expansion gusset region 50 joins the bottom 30 tothe wall 10. A gusset 52, preferably comprised of fabric, is sewn toboth the wall 10 and the bottom 30. The gusset 52 will keep the bottom30 joined to the wall 20 when the expansion gusset region 50 is in theexpanded configuration and will keep dust, water, and other undesiredelements out of the compartment 15. The gusset 52 may be padded withfoam sheeting or the like although this is not shown in the drawings.

The gusset preferably should have a vertical dimension sufficientlygreat to cause a vertical expansion of the compartment 15 that willpermit the compartment 15 to completely accommodate the lens 2 with alens hood 2A in the operative position as shown in FIG. 4. The lens 2will be securely contained in the compartment 15 without extending fromit any more than it did in the configuration of FIG. 2, which ispreferably not at all.

Alternatively, a single carrier 1 may accommodate securely lenses ofdifferent length as long as the circumference of the lens does notincrease beyond the inner circumference of the compartment 15. Thisconveniently provides a single carrier that can fit more than one lens.

A zipper 54 having zipper halves 54A and 54B joined and separated by themovement of zipper slider 56 is arranged so as to contract the gusset 52and move the bottom 30 against the wall 10 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.The zipper halves 54A and 54B are attached to zipper tapes 56A and 56B,respectively. The upper and lower zipper tapes 56A and 56B are sewn orotherwise attached to the wall 10 and the bottom 30, respectively, for afull circumference of the wall 10 or bottom 30, as the case may be (thecircumferences will be about the same). However, the zipper 54 and thezipper tapes 56A and 56B are longer than the full circumferences of thewall 10 or bottom 30, as the case may be. The portions of the zippertapes 56A and 56B that exceed the lengths of the circumferences may havea length of about a quarter of a circumference (as shown in thedrawings). The portions of the zipper tapes 56A and 56B that exceed thelengths of the circumferences are not sewn or attached to the wall 10 orthe bottom 30, respectively. Instead, they are sewn to the gasket 52 sothat they converge together (see FIG. 3). Accordingly, when the zipper54 is unzipped (the zipper slider 58 is maneuvered so as to separate thezipper halves 54A and 54B), the wall 10 is separated from the bottom 30and the gusset 52 is extended from its contracted or stored positionshown in FIG. 2 to its full vertically extended position shown in FIG.4. When the zipper 54 is zipped up (the zipper slider 58 is maneuveredso as to join the zipper halves 54A and 54B), the wall 10 is brought tobe adjacent the bottom 30 and the gusset 52 is placed in its contractedor stored position shown in FIG. 2 from its full vertically extendedposition shown in FIG. 4.

It will be understood by those of skill in the art that other means forextending and contracting the gusset 52 may be employed. For example,hook-and-loop tape might be employed to secure the bottom 30 to the wall10.

FIGS. 6-18 depict a second preferred embodiment of a carrier 100according to the disclosure. The carrier 100 is essentially a containerfor a substantially rectangular parallelopipedal object with acylindrical object of varying length attached on one side, such as, asshown in FIGS. 13 and 18, a single lens reflex camera 105 and atelephoto lens 107 that may have its lens hood 107A either reversed(FIG. 13) or extended (FIG. 18).

The carrier 100 has a wall 100 composed of a front wall 112 joined by aleft wall 116 and a right wall 118 to a back wall 114. A top 120 isattached by hinge 123 to the front wall 112 and joined by a zipper 126with zipper sliders 128 to the left wall 116, the right wall 118, theback wall 114, and portions of the front wall 112. A bottom 130 isconnected by an expansion gusset region 150 to the wall 110.

The top 120, the wall 110, the expansion gusset region 150, and thebottom 130 define a compartment 115 that is accessed through the topopening 124 that is covered by the top 120 when the zipper 126 isclosed.

The carrier 100 shown in the drawings is a soft-sided case designed tohold and protect photographic gear and it is therefore padded. The top120 has a foam padding 121 in the form of a foam sheet sandwiched byfabric layers; the wall 110 has foam padding 111, and the bottom hasfoam padding 131. The general manner of construction of the carrier 100out of fabric, foam sheeting, zippers, zipper sliders, strapping,D-rings, and the like sewn together will be known to those of skill inthe art although the design will not. The wall 110, top 120, and thebottom 130 could be made of harder materials to provide a hard-sidedcase, if needed, as mentioned above in connection with the carrier 1 ofthe embodiment of FIGS. 1-5.

A belt connection sleeve 140 is provided on the back wall 114. The beltconnection sleeve 140 may be the same as the one disclosed in connectionwith the carrier 1 and the same comments apply. The top 120 is providedwith a handle 122 for holding the carrier 100 with the hand when thecarrier 100 is not supported on a belt or by a shoulder strap (the beltand the shoulder strap are not shown in the drawings). The left wall 116is shown with a sleeve or flap zippered thereon to form a left sidezippered compartment 117. Those of skill in the art will be aware thatmany variations in the position, form, and structure of the beltconnection sleeve 140, the handle 122, and the left side zipperedcompartment 117 are possible.

The expansion gusset region 150 has generally the same construction asthe expansion gusset region 50 in the carrier 50 and provides a gusset152 that can be contracted or expanded so as to displace the bottom 130away from the wall 110 so as to accommodate variations in the length ofthe article or device enclosed in the compartment 115 of the carrier100. In other words, the article or device may be enclosed in thecompartment 115 with the top 120 zippered shut over the opening 124 eventhough the length of the article or device may change. In the drawings,one will see that the article is an SLR camera body 105 attached to alens 107 (a telephoto lens in the drawings). The lens 107 changes itslength when the lens hood 107A changes orientation from being reversedon the lens (FIG. 13) to being extended for ready use (FIG. 18).Alternatively, the expansion gusset region 150 may allow the compartment115 of the carrier 100 to accommodate a camera 105 having a longer lensattached. The carrier 100 can thus be useful for securely containingcameras with lenses of different lengths as long as the circumference ofthe lens does not increase beyond the inner circumference of thecompartment 115.

While illustrative embodiments of the carriers disclosed herein havebeen shown and described in the above description, numerous variationsand alternative embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art andit should be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims,the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.Such variations and alternative embodiments are contemplated, and can bemade, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A carrier for carrying photographic gear such asa lens or a camera with a lens, comprising a wall and a bottom joined byan expanding gusset region to define a variable-length compartment. 2.The carrier according to claim 1 wherein the expanding gusset regioncomprises a gusset and a device at least partially secured to oradjacent to each of the wall and the bottom for reversibly engaging thebottom adjacent the wall.
 3. The carrier according to claim 2 whereinthe gusset has a contracted configuration in which the wall is adjacentthe bottom and an expanded configuration in which the wall is spacedfrom the bottom.
 4. The carrier according to claim 2 wherein the deviceis a zipper.
 5. The carrier according to claim 1 wherein the walldefines an opening for access to the variable length compartment.
 6. Thecarrier according to claim 5 further comprising a cord and a lockingdevice for closing the opening.
 7. The carrier according to claim 5further comprising a top, the top being adapted for covering theopening.
 8. The carrier according to claim 1 further comprising meansattached to the carrier for attaching the carrier to a belt.
 9. Thecarrier according to claim 1 wherein the variable-length compartment issized and shaped to accommodate a lens unattached to a camera.
 10. Thecarrier according to claim 9 wherein the lens may have a lens hoodattached in either a reversed or extended position.
 11. The carrieraccording to claim 1 wherein the variable-length compartment is sizedand shaped to accommodate a camera and a lens attached to a camera. 12.The carrier according to claim 11 wherein the lens may have a lens hoodattached in either a reversed or extended position.
 13. A carrier forcarrying a camera with a lens comprising a wall and a bottom joined byan expanding gusset region to define a variable-length compartment forcontaining the camera and the lens.
 14. The carrier according to claim13 wherein the expanding gusset region comprising a gusset and a deviceat least partially secured to or adjacent to each of the wall and thebottom for reversibly engaging the bottom adjacent the wall.
 15. Thecarrier according to claim 14 wherein the variable-length compartment issized and shaped to accommodate a camera with a lens that may have alens hood attached in either a reversed or extended position.
 16. Thecarrier according to claim 13 further comprising a top reversiblysecured to the wall above the variable-length compartment.
 17. A carrierfor carrying a lens comprising a wall and a bottom joined by anexpanding gusset region to define a variable-length compartment.
 18. Thecarrier according to claim 17 wherein the expanding gusset regioncomprises a gusset and a device at least partially secured to oradjacent to each of the wall and the bottom for reversibly engaging thebottom adjacent the wall.
 19. The carrier according to claim 17 whereinthe compartment is generally cylindrical.
 20. The carrier according toclaim 17 wherein the variable-length compartment is sized and shaped toaccommodate a lens that may have a lens hood attached in either areversed or extended position.